The Millpond Gate
The Millpond Gate
Read aloud
Rainwater drums on the mill roof as Mara Bell points to the swollen pond. “The north gate is jammed, and if the water tops the weir, it will drown the lower cottages and fields. Find the cause and clear it before the next rise.”
Run the session
Cheat sheet
Objectives
- 1Determine what has jammed the north gate and where the responsible people are.
- 2Stop the rising water from overtopping the weir.
- 3Leave the spillway stable and settle the immediate danger.
- 4Recover enough timber to compensate the mill and affected farmers.Optional
The clock
The water is rising, but slowly enough for investigation and multiple approaches. After roughly 6 in-world hours without lowering or clearing the gate, the water overtops the weir. Each substantial delay can be represented by a complication; do not make ordinary failed checks consume the whole clock.
Scenes
- 0:00Water at the Weir
- 0:30Tracks in the Mud
- 1:05The Jammed Spillway
- 1:50The Water Must Go Somewhere
- 2:30A Dry Threshold
Cast
- Mara BellQuestgiver
- Tessa RillAlly
- Orren PikeAntagonist
- Hobb FenWitness
The hook
Set the scene
At the mill, Mara has gathered the workers on the dry side of the yard. Tessa points out the north bank path and explains that the side sluice can lower the pond, but someone must operate it from the muddy channel. The water is rising steadily, giving the party several hours rather than mere minutes. Hobb Fen waits nearby with muddy footprints and drag marks to report.
How Mara Bell asks
Mara approaches the party at the mill yard and offers a modest payment for stopping the flood.
She is blunt about the danger, shares what she knows about the gate, and asks them to evacuate anyone they find in immediate danger.
Rumours
Scenes
about 3 hours0:00
30 min
socialThe table is here
1. Water at the Weir
Millhaven mill yard beside the rain-swollen pond
Mara explains the danger, Tessa describes the gate and sluice, and Hobb reports fresh drag marks. Let the party choose whether to question people, inspect the site, or begin evacuating vulnerable homes.
NextOnce the party has a likely route and a practical plan, they can investigate the bank and follow the tracks toward the gate.
0:30
35 min
exploration
2. Tracks in the Mud
A muddy track between small farms, drainage ditches, and the millpond
The party follows boot prints and log grooves along the north track. They can confirm the trail with a Wisdom (Survival) check, ask Hobb to point out the land boundaries, or search the banks for the source of the obstruction. A failed check costs time but does not erase the trail.
NextThe drag marks lead to a narrow bend in the channel, where the party can see the jammed gate and the timber raft.
1:05
45 min
combat
3. The Jammed Spillway
The north gate and spillway, with a log raft caught in the channel
The party discovers the raft, wedge, and cutters. Orren is willing to talk if approached without immediate violence; he admits the illegal timber cutting and explains that one worker is stranded on the far bank. The party can negotiate a surrender, ask for help with the gate, or prepare for a fight.
The Jammed SpillwayNextWith the cutters contained or persuaded to help, the party must remove the wedge and control the flow before the pond rises further.
1:50
40 min
skill
4. The Water Must Go Somewhere
The gate platform, hand winch, and slippery spillway
The party chooses how to clear the gate and manage the water. Tessa can operate the side sluice if guided, while the characters handle the wedge, winch, or bracing. A failed check costs time or damages equipment, but another reasonable method can still solve the problem.
NextOnce the flow is controlled, the party can check the nearby cottages and decide how the stolen timber will be returned or paid for.
2:30
25 min
social
5. A Dry Threshold
The mill yard after the pond begins to recede
Mara, Hobb, and any rescued workers confirm the lower homes are safe. The party reports what happened and helps decide whether Orren's crew will pay, work, or face the reeve. The gate remains secured and the flooding threat is ended.
NextThe local problem is resolved; the party may rest, collect its reward, and continue its travels.
Behind it
What people believe
The north gate at Millhaven's millpond is jammed after heavy rain, and the rising water threatens nearby cottages, fields, and the mill itself.
Mara Bell needs help identifying the obstruction, reaching the gate, and securing the spillway before the pond overtops the weir. Fresh tracks lead away from the channel, but the source of the trouble is not yet known.
Background
Millhaven's north millpond is held by a low timber weir, which also feeds a narrow channel used to water several small farms.
After two days of rain, the pond is high and the old spillway is carrying more water than usual. A jammed gate could send water over the weir and into the low fields and cottages. The trouble is local and practical: timber thieves have wedged the gate open to float cut logs down the channel, and the rising water has trapped them on the far bank.
The stakes
If the gate remains jammed, water overtops the weir and floods low fields, two cottages, and the mill's storage shed.
People can be evacuated, but stored hay, tools, and the next flour supply are at risk.
Encounters
1The Jammed Spillway
Combat or negotiation
A timber weir and narrow spillway beside a fast, knee-deep channel. A hand winch controls the gate, but the jammed wedge must first be removed or broken. Nearby logs provide half cover. Falling into the channel does not automatically cause damage, but a creature must spend movement to climb the muddy bank.
Foes
Orren Pike, use the bandit stat block
Nella Voss, use the bandit stat block
ComplicationThe narrow bank is slick and partly undermined. A creature that dashes near the edge must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or fall prone. The jammed gate groans under pressure; after 3 rounds of loud combat, a log breaks loose and makes one 10-foot section of the channel difficult terrain.
ScalingFor a party already depleted, Orren tries to bargain as soon as one thief is incapacitated. If the party is handling the fight comfortably, add one bandit who arrives from the log raft after 2 rounds. Orren and Nella flee or surrender when both are badly wounded; they are thieves, not willing martyrs.
Cast
4Mara Bell
QuestgiverQuestgiver, Millhaven miller
WantsProtect the mill, nearby homes, and the mill workers who depend on it.
“The water is already licking the lower path. Find what is holding that gate, and get my people clear if it cannot be shut in time.”
Tessa Rill
Ally, mill worker and knowledgeable local guide
WantsHelp prevent flooding while keeping her younger brother and the mill crew out of danger.
“I can take you along the bank, but the ground near the spillway is soft enough to swallow a boot.”
Orren Pike
Antagonist, leader of the timber thieves
WantsGet the stolen logs and his crew safely away, then avoid arrest or restitution.
“We only needed one run of timber. I did not think the water would rise this fast.”
Hobb Fen
Witness, farmer whose field borders the mill channel
WantsKeep his small farm and its animals safe; he wants the danger stopped but is reluctant to accuse anyone without proof.
“I saw fresh drag marks by the north track, and they were not made by a cart going toward town.”
How it ends
Rewards
Items
A sturdy coil of hempen rope
A millworker's pry bar, useful as a crowbar
On a win
The gate is cleared and secured, the pond drains through the side sluice, and the lower cottages remain dry.
The party has a definite account of what happened and can settle the timber theft through capture, restitution, or a locally agreed penalty. The immediate flood danger is over; no further threat is required to conclude the adventure.
What it leaves open
If it fails
- The party does not clear or safely bypass the jam before the water crests.
- The lower fields and two empty storage sheds flood, ruining stored hay and damaging fences. The cottages are evacuated in time, but Hobb and other farmers lose a season's useful supplies.
- The party forces the gate without controlling the water or fails to brace it after removing the wedge.
- The mill's wheel and gate are damaged. Millhaven avoids a disaster, but flour production stops for several days and Mara cannot pay the full promised reward.
- The party prioritizes the thieves' capture over securing the gate, or lets the crew leave without recovering the stolen logs.
- Orren and his crew escape with some timber, and Mara's trust in the party is strained. The flood is still stopped if the party clears the gate, but restitution must be pursued locally.
Complications (d6)
- 1A sodden bank collapses underfoot. The character nearest the edge must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or slide 10 feet into shallow, fast-moving water and drop one held item.
- 2A loose log shoots down the channel. Anyone in its path must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or take 1d6 bludgeoning damage and be knocked prone.
- 3A frightened mule breaks its tether near the low cottages. If the party spends a few minutes catching it, they learn which path remains passable; otherwise it blunders into the flooded lower track.
- 4Rain returns in a hard burst, reducing visibility beyond 60 feet for 10 minutes and making the bank difficult terrain.
- 5A mill worker insists the north gate must be held shut by hand. Tessa can correct the mistake, but only if the party has earned her trust or takes time to show her the gate mechanism.
- 6Orren's crew releases a mooring rope to keep a log raft from breaking apart. The raft swings across the channel, blocking the safest approach to the gate until someone secures or cuts it.
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